The history of the royal Christmas tree: How Queen Victoria helped popularize the holiday tradition

By Barry Byrne

December 02, 2019

It’s the universal symbol of Christmas and a beloved tradition
often attributed to
Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, who was originally
from Germany. But the magic of the English Christmas tree actually dates back
further than that – to
George III’s German-born wife Queen Charlotte (1744-1818).

Charlotte took the ancient practice of hanging a “kissing
bough” (made of holly and mistletoe and adorned with fruit, ribbons and
candles) and giving it a German twist by adding yew. One Christmas, in 1800,
when the queen was preparing to host a party for children at Windsor, she found
herself without yew branches and improvised by putting a whole tree in a pot.

A partygoer would later describe the novelty thus: “Here,
among other amusing objects for the gratification of the juvenile visitors, in the
middle of the room stood an immense tub with a yew tree placed in it, from the
branches of which hung bunches of sweetmeats, almonds and raisins [wrapped] in
papers, fruits, and toys, mostly tastefully arranged, and the whole illuminated
by small wax candles.

“After the company had walked round and admired the tree,
each child obtained a portion of the sweets which it bore, together with a toy,
and then all returned home quite delighted.”

The
Royal Family continued with the tradition throughout
Regency times. Princess Victoria, then 13, wrote in her diary on Dec. 24, 1832:
“We went into the drawing room near the dining room. After Mamma had rung a
bell three times, we went in. There were two large round tables on which were
placed two trees hung with lights and sugar ornaments. All the presents being placed
round the tree.”

BRANCHING OUT

The Christmas-tree craze didn’t sweep the nation, however,
until the
Illustrated London News printed an engraving of Queen
Victoria, Prince Albert and their children gathered around their tree – an eight-foot
fir festooned with decorations – at Windsor Castle in 1848. In the German tradition,
the family opened their gifts on Christmas Eve.

“The seven children were taken
to their tree, jumping and shouting with joy over their toys and other
presents,” Victoria wrote during 1850. She popularized two other enduring
English customs, too: feasting on roast turkey, and hiding coins in the Christmas
pudding.

One idea that didn’t catch on was placing the tree in an
unusual location. In 1860, a visitor to Windsor described how the rooms “were
lighted up with Christmas trees hung from the ceiling,” perhaps echoing the
more ancient tradition of hanging festive boughs.

In 2011, though, the Royal Collection recreated a Victorian Christmas
at Windsor Castle by suspending a tree from the ceiling in the Octagon Dining
Room, where the chandelier is usually hung.

Nowadays, the Christmas tree still plays a very important
part in the Royal Family’s festive rituals. One of
the Queen’s most important
Christmas traditions is to donate trees to all of the churches and schools in
the Sandringham area. The trees are grown in Windsor Great Park, managed by her
Crown Estate.

Her Majesty also gifts beautiful trees to some of Britain’s
most historic buildings, including St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

DID YOU KNOW?

Canadian Christmas trees predate English ones thanks to Baroness Riedesel, who hosted British and German officers in Sorel, Que. on Christmas Eve 1781. Her husband had led a unit of German soldiers sent to defend Canada in the Revolutionary War, but they were captured and imprisoned in New York state from 1777-80. The tree was a tribute to their native land.

This piece has been adapted from A Very Royal Christmas, HELLO! Canada's
special Christmas issue, which is available on newsstands for $9.99! It’s perfect for
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